Chennai, April 2: The Council for Leather Exports (CLE), targeting a 2.83 per cent share in the global trade with plans for exports of $3,065 million by 2004-05, is upbeat about the revised exim policy. CLE chairman Mr Irshad Mirza describes it ``as a major forward step towards the rationalisation and simplification of procedures to achieve the desired growth in the country's export in general and export of from leather sector in particular.''In a press release here he said that the market access and export promotion initiatives would ``encourage the exporters and export promotion councils to undertake several market promotion activities.''
The initiative has special significance for CLE as it has already identified specific market promotion activities to increase exports and enter new markets.
Introduction of the export promotion schemes like annual advance licence scheme, duty free replenishment certificate scheme, export promotion capital goods scheme are welcomed as they would reduce transaction time and cost of the exporters. They also remove several export hurdles.
Mr Mirza is happy with the marginal revision of DEPB rates for a few items. However the leather exporters have been awaiting a substantial hike on all items to get ``realistic neutralisation of customs duties.''
Permission to import second hand machinery up to ten years would help the industry in procuring the required machinery from abroad which are available at competitive prices as many plants there are up for sale.
Welcoming the special economic zone concept, he says the facility to electronic filing of applications in almost all the DGFT offices would expedite the process of obtaining necessary licences. However Mr Mirza has requested the Centre to urge the state governments to facilitate export growth by removing certain bottlenecks like inadequate infrastructure facilities and procedural problems with regard to local taxes.
Copyright © 2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
